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Satheesan Avoids Commitment on Mamkootathil’s Assembly Attendance
Kerala Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan has declined to say whether Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil will attend the Assembly session beginning on September 15. Satheesan said the United Democratic Front would take an…
The Story in Brief
Kerala Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan has declined to say whether Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil will attend the Assembly session beginning on September 15. Satheesan said the United Democratic Front would take an “appropriate decision at the appropriate time” and called the matter a “closed chapter”. Mamkootathil faces allegations of sexual misconduct and was suspended from the Congress’s primary membership. Congress leaders remain divided, with some calling him the victim of a CPI(M)-backed political witch-hunt, while MLA Uma Thomas has sought his resignation.
Former KPCC president K. Muraleedharan said Mamkootathil could attend as an unattached member, subject to the Speaker’s decision on seating and participation. Meanwhile, the Kerala Police Crime Branch has recorded statements from at least three third-party complainants after registering a Zero FIR. It is also preparing notices for women journalists who said they met a victim. The allegations include sexual misconduct and coercion to terminate a pregnancy.
The Indian Opinion
The loudest claims now reduce a serious allegation to either a party conspiracy or a settled political dispute. Neither approach serves accountability. A police inquiry must establish what happened, while the Assembly must apply its rules without turning attendance into a substitute for due process. The immediate test is whether the Crime Branch’s inquiry produces a formal complaint and evidence that can withstand scrutiny, rather than more partisan statements.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
